Fluorescent lighting fixture servicing implement



. FLUORE$CENT LIGHTING FIXTURE SERVICING IMPLEMENT R. T. RIKER ETALINVENTORS 05527" 7'. BIKER. BY J'oSEP/l h. M04117 Filed Jan. 24, 1945 77/ I I. V////////// A i gz v Patented Oct. 22, 1946 UN I-TED STATES D FFICE FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURE SERVICING IMPLEMENT Robert T. Biker andJ osephH. Molat, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application January 24, 19515,-Serial No. 574,304

6 Claims. 1

Our invention is directed toward a novel and improved appliance forservicing fluorescent lighting fixtures, and has for one of its objectsto provide an appliance of the character described which shallbe soconstructed and arranged that defective elongated glass tubes of thetype customarily employed in fluorescent lighting fixtures and whichfixtures are hung from the ceiling or disposed at other points beyondreach may be readily removed and replaced by an operator from the floorWithout the necessity of using ladders and Without the necessity ofremoving the fixture.

Another object of our invention is to provide anovel and highly improvedappliance for servicingfiuorescent'lighting fixtures'by means of whichthe elongated glass tubes which comprise such fixtures may be removedand replaced without damage to thefixture or the tube and which at thesame time shall be provided with means for readily removing andreplacing defective starters.

Further objects and advantages of our invention will become apparentfrom the description or will hereinafter bepo'inted out.

In the accompanying draviing,

Fig. 1 is aside elevational view, partly sectional, of a fluorescentlighting Jfixture servicing appliance constructedandarranged'inaccordance with ourinve'ntion";

Fig.2 is a front elevational view portion thereof Fig. 3 is an enlargedview of a portion "of the appliance shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4' is an enlarged detail view of a portion adjacent thebottom endof the appliance shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating its function andpurpose.

Referring now in detail to the drawing wehave shown an appliance forservicing fluorescent fixtures constructed and arranged in accordancewith our invention and comprising a pairof substantially verticallydisposed arms t and H of resilient or spring material and which may beattached at their lowerends to a suitable base support 1 2byanydesirableattaching'means, such as "by the screws 16. The said armst0 and Il are preferably arranged so that they normally spread apart,tapering in an upward direction. At-the upp'erends-of'thearms I 0 and ii there are fixedly attachei:l,*in any well known manner, jaw members 13and I25 respectively. It is noted that the said jaw members 14 and P arearcuate in shape and are normally spaced apart a sufficient-distance tofreely embrace diametrically oppos'itesides of an elongated glass tube Tof the standard type customarily emof the upper ployed in fluorescentlighting fixtures. It is further noted that the said jaw members l4 andi5 extend longitudinally in a horizontal direction parallel to the axisof the said tube T and that they project for a. predetermined distancebeyond said arms l0 and fl in both directions. It is note'dthatthelength of the jaw members l4 and I5 maybe varied in accordance with thelength of the tube. The said jaw members i4 and I5 are provided on theinner surfaces thereof with layers20 of materialwhich is preferably ofthe type which is relatively soft sees not to injure the glass tube whenthe jaws l4 and f5 grip the same and they'are'additionally of the typewhich will frictionally hold the said glass tube T so that it maybe'rotated axially for the purposes of removing and replacing the same.

It is. thus seen from the above described construction "that when it isdesired to remove aiglass tube T from a fluorescentfixture for thepurpose of replacing the same or for other reasons, it is merelynecessaryto'passthejaws l4 and f5 freely on diametrically opposite sidesof the said tube and then cause the said jaws to be brought to-"getherfto grip'the said tube therebetween and then by slightly" turningthe gripped tube axially, it may be freed and removed from itssupporting brackets.

Ina'ccorda'nce with our invention the following means may beemployed'for causing the said jaws T4" and I 5 'to be moved toward eachother against the normal action of the spring arms H1 and H.

Fixed to the arm [0 is a bracket 25 to which there is ,pivotallyattached one end of a rod member 26, by meansof the pivot 2'1. The freeend 2612. of. the rod "26 is screw threaded and passes freely-throughand projects beyond a slotted opening .2 in the arm '11. Fixed to thebase member i2 is a rigidsupporting arm 31, having an integralupstanding portion 31a. Attached to, the said portion .3Ia.by the rivets34, is a leaf spring 33, so curved as to have one end 33!; thereoffreely contactively engaging the arm H below said rod 26, andthe.opposite end 33b thereof freely contactivelyenga'ging the arm H atapoint adjacentithe jaw t5. Disposed near said'portion 3|a and normallyparallel thereto is a rigid member 29 pivotally mountedati its lowerend, by means of a pivot'tfl, on thesupporting arm 3i.

Thespring '33, the rigid portion 31a and the rigid member 29 are eachprovided with slotted openings 35,31 and 28', respectively, to permitfree angular movement ofthe rod'26 projec'ting therethrou'gh.

It i'ss'een from the abov description that when 3 the rigid member 29 ispivotally moved in a clockwise direction as viewed from Fig. 1 and 3, itwill cause the arm In to move toward the arm I l due to the fact thatthe rod 26 is provided with an abutment nut 32. The rigid portion Sidand the spring 33 interposed between the said arm portion 31a and thearm ll causes the simultaneous movement of the arm I l toward the armI0. It is noted that the free slidable end 33b of the spring 33 isdisposed near the jaw l5 so as to exert its pressure in the area of thesaid jaw l5.

In order to be able to effectively use the appliance of our inventionfrom the floor without having to employ step ladders or chairs orstools, we mount the base support I2 for the arms I and II, on asuitable hub member 36 to which there is attached a long rod 40 of anydesired suitable length for the convenience and-efliciency. To pivotallymove the rigid member 29 as above described in a clockwise direction toclose the jaws I4 and I we provide the rod with a pair of spaced fixedbracket members 42 and 43 through which we slidably pass another rod 50,the upper end a of which is outwardly angularly bent, as shown. The saidend portion 500. of the rod is pivotally attached to an outwardlyangularly bent and forked portion of the rigid member 29 by means of thepivot 55. Anysuitable handle may be provided at the lower end of the rod50. For convenience we have shown a lever 51 pivoted at one end to therod 40 by the pivot 58. The lever 51 is provided with a slotted opening59 and the rod 50 is attached to the lever 51 by means of a pivot 6|operating in the slot 59.

It is thus seen from the above description that when it is desired toclose the jaws l4 and I5 it is merely necessary to grasp the lever 51and turn the same in a clockwise direction to its dotted line position51'. This will slidably pull the rod 50 downwardly to pivotally move thearm 29 to close the jaws l4 and 15.

f .A set screw 88 carried by one of the brackets 43 may be employed tolock the rod 50 in any desired position.

It is often necessary, when servicing fluorescent lighting fixtures, toremove and replace defective starters. To this end, we haveincorporated, in our appliance, the following means whereby to readilyremove these defective starters without using step ladders, chairs orstools and at the same time that defective tubes are being replaced.

Attached to the bottom end of the rod 40 is a cylindrical member 10which is preferably made of rubber or the like resilient material andwhich is provided with an opening H substantially similar in size andcontour to that of the standard type starter S, shown in Fig. 4 of thedrawing. The said opening H is designed to frictionally receiv thereinandgrip the starter S so that it may be manipulated to pry it loose fromits socket or holder. The said member 10 may be attached to said rod '40inany suitable manner, such as by the screws 13 shown in Fig. 4.

While we have shown, in the drawing, the jaws I4 and I5 as consisting ofa single unit, we may, if desired, construct each jaw of two partsspaced from each other along the length of the glass tube T. Suchconstruction might prove more efficient in cases where the said tubes Tare of relatively greater length by affording a greater gripping area.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, we have hereindescribed the principle and operation of our invention, together withapparatus which wenow consider, to represent 4 the best embodimentsthereof, but we desire to have it understood that the structure shown isonly illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by othermeans. Also, while it is designed to use the various features andelements in the combination and relations described, some of those maybe altered and others omitted without interfering with th more generalresults outlined, and the invention extends to such use.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A fluorescent lighting fixture servicing implementcomprising a firstspring arm and a second spring arm constituting a pair of substantiallyvertically disposed spring arms normally spaced apart, a relatively longhandle, a support for said arms disposed at one end of said handle sothat the upper ends thereof will be free, an arcuate jaw member fixed tosaid free end of each spring arm, said jaw members being in opposedrelationship and adapted to clamp and hold between them the elongatedglass tube of said fluorescent lighting fixture when said spring armsare urged towards each other, and means for causing said spring arms tomove toward each other, said last named means comprising a substantiallyhorizontally disposed rod member having one end thereof pivotallymounted on said first arm and the opposite end passing freely through anopen-- ing in said second arm, an abutment on said rod member, adjacentthe free end thereof, an extending bracket portion on said support, asub stantially vertically disposed rigid member pivotally mounted at thelower end thereof on said bracket and having an opening adjacent theupper free end thereof through which said horizontal rod member freelypasses, said upper free end of said rigid member being disposed betweensaid second arm and said abutment, so that pivotal movement of saidrigid member in a direction toward said abutment will cause theresilient movement of said first arm toward said second arm.

2. A fluorescent lighting fixture implement according to claim 1 inwhich the said jaw members are provided with a layer of felt or the likeresilient material to prevent injury to th said glass tube during theclamping action.

3. A fluorescent lighting fixture implement according to claim 1 inwhich the said jaw members are so disposed that the axes of said jawmembers are substantially parallel to each other and to the axis of saidglass tube.

4. A fluorescent lighting fixture implement according to claim 1 inwhich the said jaw members extend longitudinally for a relatively longdistance along said tube.

5. A fluorescent lighting fixture servicing implement according to claim1 in which the said tween said second arm and said rigid extension.

ROBERT 'I. RIKER. JOSEPH H. MOLAT.

